Interview

What is the idea behind the touring exhibition Le tele del Jazz and what people should expect from your artworks?

The project was born in cooperation with Andrea Venturi founder of Corinaldo Jazz, who visited my studio in September last year, interested in combining his music event and an exhibition dedicated to the biggest jazz artists.

Our region hosts an important events related to jazz music, therefore I submitted my project to the main ones and I also kept in contact with guys organising the “European Music Festival” which takes place in Senigallia and Adriano Pedini, the artistic director of Fano Jazz by the Sea; they greeted the idea enthusiastically.

I immediately thought it was the right occasion to work on something new, a bit different from my previous artworks still connected to a sort of academic heritage.

I think all the people coming to visit my exhibition would be astonished by a whirl of colours and also by the modern iconography.

I would like to recall with my paintings the art of  20th Century.

As we know you joined many exhibitions, cooperating with other artists and also organising many individual ones: which one you appreciate the most and why?

The most important exhibition is absolutely the first one, which I personally organised and looked after in a place rented for little money along the arcades in Senigallia, my hometown.

At that time I was studying with Robert Stpiczynski an high grade artist, for one year; he pushed me to exhibit the drawings I made in his studio, as he thought people should have known this new me.

At the very beginning I was hesitating as it sounded like I had to share with everyone a deep secret I didn’t want to.

Then my family and my master of art were really supportive, so I took a decision; I printed a couple of homemade flyers starting out with the first of many exhibitions. Was definitely the right choice!

How could you match so different activities such as painting and restoration; I mean how they coexist in your life?

Well, honestly I am working just as a painter at the moment but I have been working as a restorer for few years cooperating with many regional and national companies.

These jobs have been a sort of  an introduction to painting: in doing pictorial retouching for instance, I learned the importance of colours and how to blend them together. I also learned various techniques used by different artists.

There is a big difference then, between a restoration work and painting, as the first doesn’t involve creativity rather require rigour and respect for an artwork and its artist; the painting instead crosses the border stimulating creativity and offering freedom to the artist.

When Elisa Berardinelli becomes an artist? When did you realise, if there’s a particular moment, that art is essential in your life?

If I look back I remember I’ve been drawing since I was a kid; I used to ask for colours and papers as a present. When I was six, I won a contest organised by a local association but I can’t recall its name.

I had a very hard time when at the age of fourteen I joined the regular High School. I was really motivated to join a School of Art, but unfortunately my parents didn’t support me.

Then when I was a teenager I followed a painting course and after my High School studies I signed up to the Academy of Arts in Bologna.

I did really realise what I was aiming for, when I turned twenty four and right after my post graduation; I’ve met Robert Stpiczynski my mentor, who taught me a very important lesson.

I understood art is a life choice not just an hobby as it’s mental and manual labour as well involving concentration, knowledge and an heightened sensibility. Motivation it’s not enough if one of these three things is missing.

What is your artistic background, which artists influenced you most and who is your favourite?

I would say It has been very important studying all the classical artworks and the copies I made, both drawings and oil on canvas.

I’ve been inspired by Baroque and the modern Avant-garde movements developed at beginning of 20th Century.

The artist I appreciate  most is Caravaggio, who in my opinion influenced the past and the contemporary; in terms of a personal artistic influence, instead I would mention Impressionism and the 1960s.

What’s your opinion about our country that paradoxically owns the biggest heritage but also the lowest government grant? Do you think it’s possible to survive doing art?

I would compare our country to an open book which can be read whenever we wish as it is plenty of beautiful buildings, churches, castles and paintings; that is really inspiring for an artist.

This is what I appreciate most and I will answer that it is definitely possible to “survive doing art” when you are surrounded by a marvelous heritage, like the Italian one.

I would answer in a different way if you are talking in terms of guarantee, like a monthly income for instance.

In our country it is even impossible to become popular as long as you are a genius. You might know the right people, either have a rich family able to support you paying a gallery owner who rent you a space and look after your exhibition.

It seems to me other countries invest a lot on their young artists, but that is not the point; I would rather remind the value of the Italian heritage for all of these countries which have been taught art by Italians.